Vending machines, including those adapted to dispense beverage containers, such as cans and plastic bottles, for example, are well known and widely used. Generally, the various components of vending machines and the principles of operation of such components in acting to vend or otherwise dispense beverage containers or other products are well understood. The present invention finds particular application in certain components of vending machines, and is described herein with particular reference to one commonly used component. However, it is to be distinctly understood that the principles of the present invention are equally applicable to other suitable components used in vending machines, and that such other components are specifically intended to come within the scope of the present invention.
One example of a suitable vending machine component is known as a gate bar or load bar. In the interests of clarity and ease of reading, the term gate bar will be used throughout this application to refer to this component. However, it will be appreciated that other terms are often used.
A gate bar is typically used to support one or more columns of un-vended beverage containers and/or other products above a bucket or other device that dispenses the product as a part of the actual vend operation. The bucket is adapted to house a small quantity of beverage containers or other products, such as three or four beverage cans, for example. The bucket operates to dispense the beverage containers housed therein one at a time during vend operations until no beverage containers remain in the bucket. The gate bar is then actuated to replenish the quantity of products in the bucket by allowing a suitable number of products to drop into the bucket from the columns of products supported thereabove by the gate bar.
Given the trends toward larger vending machines suitable for dispensing oversized plastic bottles, and the desire to reduce maintenance, i.e., restocking vending machines, for example, it is typical for a vending machine to have a large quantity of un-vended beverage containers and/or other products in each vending envelope of the vending machine that are stacked on and supported by a gate bar. Such a quantity of products imposes a considerable load that is, in many cases, entirely supported by the gate bar. As such, gate bars are typically sufficiently rigid, in both torsion and bending, to support the full load without undue deflection. For this and other reasons, gate bars are commonly constructed from metal, such as zinc or aluminum. Gate bars made of zinc are typically die cast, while gate bars manufactured from aluminum can be extruded and then machined, or even machined entirely from bar stock.
There are number of disadvantages and shortcomings associated with gate bars of the above-discussed constructions. One notable disadvantage is, quite simply, cost. It will be appreciated that many thousands of vending machines for beverage containers and other products are manufactured world wide each year, and such vending machines each commonly have five or more gate bars supported therein. As such, gate bars represent a significant expense associated with the manufacture of such vending machines. As a result, it is desirable to develop a gate bar that has sufficient rigidity and strength for the vending application, yet which is less costly to manufacture.
Initially, the gate bar is stationed in a first position in which the beverage containers or other products are supported within the vending envelope of the machine. During a vend operation, the gate bar is displaced into a second position in which the beverage containers or other products are allowed to drop through the envelope into the bucket supported therebelow. However, the gate bar is quickly cycled back to the first position allowing only one row of products to pass into the bucket. As such, there is typically minimal clearance within the vending envelope to reduce the distance the gate bar travels between the first and second positions. Additionally, the gate bar commonly has a minimal amount of mass. This reduces the size and power requirements of the actuator that cycles the gate bar between the first and second positions. As such, it is desirable to develop a gate bar having a minimal cross-sectional profile and a minimal mass, yet which retains sufficient rigidity to meet the operational parameters of vending machine applications.